Partner Teacher Conference
Join the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum for a day of collaboration with fellow partner teachers from across Chicago, as well as with Nature Museum scientists and educators.
- Time of Year
- Annually in January
- Location
- At The Museum
Rooted, Restored, Resilient
Growing our students and ourselves
Saturday, January 24, 2026 | 9am – 3pm
Breakfast and check in starts at 8:30am
Join us at the Nature Museum for this year’s Partner Teacher Conference as we explore the ways we can grow ourselves and our students both inside and outside the classroom.
Our keynote and breakout sessions will highlight Nature Museum scientists and the work they are doing to support resilient ecosystems right here in and around Chicago. Conference sessions will include connections to best practices in science education and the Next Generation Science Standards.
Teachers are eligible to receive Professional Development Clock Hours for attendance and can expect to leave with a variety of tools, strategies, and materials to use with their students in the classroom.
Conference Highlights
- Engage with museum scientists and educators through tailored breakout sessions centered around natural phenomena, urban ecology, and best practices in science education including the Next Generation Science Standards
- Leave with strategies and materials to use in the classroom
- Discover unique museum resources for in- and out-of-classroom learning
- Earn Professional Development Clock Hours
- Enjoy complimentary breakfast, lunch, and coffee
- Have a chance to win raffle prizes
Breakout Session Descriptions
Select the sessions that are most relevant and interesting to you! All participants will be inspired by the same keynote address then rotate through three breakout sessions. Each breakout session has four workshop choices. Please note, the workshop selections for Breakout Sessions 2 and 3 are the same. When you register, please make sure you have unique selections for Session 2 and Session 3.
BREAKOUT SESSION 1 WORKSHOP CHOICES
As scientists, we’re often told not to anthropomorphize our study animals, to keep our data objective. In this session, we’ll explore how empathy, in combination with data, can be a powerful tool in deepening our understanding and commitment to conservation of local species, like the Blanding’s turtle.
We will explore changes in the snake community in the Calumet region of Chicago, with industrialization, urbanization and habitat restoration. We will explore how abundance of different species, snake community composition, and phenology have changed using historical data collected 80 years ago in comparison with data collected in the summer of 2025.
Understanding and appreciating the characteristics of spontaneous urban flora. Nature that we see everyday exemplifies the resilience of rooted urban systems.
Chicago’s greenspaces can sometimes be overlooked as useful habitat for wildlife within our vast city. While Chicago Park District worked to restore habitat at Park 571, Curator of Entomology Allen Lawrance monitored butterflies there and neighboring parks to track changes in biodiversity over three years. Learn more about what his findings reveal about how habitat restoration can improve resiliency of Chicago’s urban ecosystems in the face of our changing climate.
BREAKOUT SESSION 2 & 3 WORKSHOP CHOICES
The Illinois Dunes are spectacular examples of resilience, with sand being vulnerable to wind and an unlikely place for plants to receive nutrients. Nonetheless, native plants survive and thrive by digging deep into the dunes, thus preventing erosion. In this session, we will use this local phenomena as a model of resiliency to dig deeper into understanding how wrong answers (productive uncertainty), can increase student confidence in science.
The use of collections as a primary source is an important skill for scientists of all ages to interpret the natural world. We’ll explore and employ our skills of curiosity and observation to take a closer look at natural history collections, archives, and nature—both here and at home—to learn, make scientific notes and drawings, create collections of our own, and maybe even solve a mystery.
This session will investigate the connections between past and present day ecosystems. We will also explore how we can use clues from present day habitats to learn more about ecosystem and species resiliency over time.
Registration
The conference is only $10, but space is limited. Register early to ensure your spot and reserve your top breakout session picks. Registration closes January 16th!
If you have any questions please email teacherprograms@naturemuseum.org.
Experience nature and science up close with a trip to the Nature Museum.